Over the past week, we’ve seen the resurgence of the concept of a “Fortress North America” being pushed by trade groups that have a foot on each side of our northern border. Don’t be deceived by the benefits implied for American interests through this term. This concept is just the latest con being pushed by Canadian interests.
In fact, the concept of “Building Fortress North America” is described as “Ontario’s North American Growth Plan” on the Ontario government’s website.
President Donald Trump has spotted this scam plainly, recognizing that “Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade.”
Having served my country for 22 years in uniform before serving as a member of the House Armed Services Committee in Congress, I know firsthand how important it is to ensure we have an industrial base and supply chains free from foreign manipulation. It is vital that those negotiating on the United States’ behalf recognize it too and don’t fall for the niceties being pushed by the Canadians and, right behind them, the Mexicans. Recent history has shown us without a doubt that neither of these countries will hesitate to leave the back gate to the fortress open for the Chinese to sabotage it from the inside.
The first iteration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement included important protections for segments that are vital to our industrial base and national security, such as domestic steel and aluminum. These protections were watered down during the Biden administration with exemptions and exceptions that were exploited by China and other adversaries through our North American neighbors. Since that initial agreement, Mexico has received huge amounts of Chinese investment, and Canada has signed free trade agreements that now cover 61% of the global economy.
Far from a secure fortress, without air-tight trade policies, concessions to either country would reopen the enormous vulnerabilities that have allowed foreign countries and importers to take advantage of loopholes in how tariffs were applied.
As outlined last month in the White House’s Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy report, “The Great Transshipment Scam,” failed trade policies of the past have “hollowed out large segments of the nation’s industrial and defense base.”
Aluminum is a prime example. Importers were able to exploit loopholes created by the failed exemptions and exceptions under the Biden administration. Instead of declaring the full value of items such as finished aluminum products, they reported only the value of the raw aluminum content, ignoring the huge value added through processing and manufacturing. The result? Products flooded into the U.S. at artificially low tariff rates, weakening the very protections designed to support domestic producers and their American workforce.
Trump put an end to that practice and stopped the cheating by issuing an executive order in March 2025. Requiring importers to declare the full value of aluminum products as subject to tariffs restored the integrity of the Section 232 tariff system and ensured its benefits are realized throughout the American aluminum supply chain.
Before the loophole was closed, it was exploited by countries that used willing partners in Mexico to boost aluminum extrusion imports into the U.S. from Mexico by 46% from 2021 to 2024. The surge had devastating effects on America’s aluminum extrusions industry, resulting in plant closures, layoffs, and curtailments, adding American aluminum extrusions to the long list of products flooding across our southern border and decimating communities across America’s heartland.
Combined, these threats to U.S. national security and our supply chains exemplify the need for strong trade enforcement. We cannot afford to allow loopholes to erode our industrial base. Trump’s executive order to correct the valuation issue demonstrates the kind of leadership required to fight illegal foreign trade practices.
While closing the Section 232 valuation loophole was an important first step, it is just one step in a broader strategy to ensure trade across North America is both free and fair. That means confronting foreign subsidies, cracking down on the transshipment of products such as aluminum extrusions, and holding our so-called trading partners accountable.
TRUMP DIDN’T THREATEN CANADA’S SOVEREIGNTY. CARNEY JUST HANDED IT TO BEIJING
The stakes could not be higher. As Tehran continues to wage war on economic supply chains, aluminum is not just another commodity. It is essential to our infrastructure, manufacturing sector, and U.S. national security. It is a vital material in the very missiles being launched in the Middle East today. Ensuring a strong and competitive domestic aluminum industry is imperative to American economic strength and national security.
As the United States continues to hold meetings to determine the future of the USMCA, our negotiators must remember the men and women of the hollowed-out communities referenced in the White House report. Any Biden-like special deals for Mexico and Canada will reverse Trump’s monumental progress in addressing transshipment at the peril of our economic and national security.
Lt. Col. Allen West represented Florida’s 22nd District as a U.S. congressman and served on the Small Business and Armed Services committees. He previously served as chairman of the Texas Republican Party.